Keep Your Child Safe From Internet Predators

You turn on the news and hear yet another child has become a victim of an internet predator. Thankfully this occurrence is rarer than you might think because parents understand the importance of watching over there kids. There are several things you can do to keep your child safe from internet predators.

Today the internet has replaced the telephone for much of our children’s socialization time. They chat with friends in chat rooms or on chat boards as they pursue common interests and new friendships. Most children are able to stay clear of any predators that might be lurking in their chat rooms or forums. They have been taught what to watch for and their instinct keeps them safe.

But sadly everyday there is a child that is not safe on the internet. A child that is in real danger from a predator that lurks in a chat room and is able to manipulate their way into a network of friends. A predator who has the skills to spot that vulnerable child and exploit them in the future. Be sure your child is not one of these children.

The ability to exploit a child has nothing to do with whether a child is smart or good. It has to do with the predator’s skills and the child’s vulnerability. Children sometimes make bad decisions and since there is no way you can be standing over your child all of the time they are online the most important thing you can do is educate them on what to watch for.

Internet predators generally prey on children between the ages of 12 and 16 who live in the suburbs or rural towns. Predators tend to seek out children who appear overly sheltered and naïve.

They also seek out children who have few friends offline and are considered loaners. They can also sense a child that is looking for affection and love online. They watch for children that have few other activities outside the internet such as sports, dance, or other extracurricular activities.

Predators work their way into chat rooms and forums pretending to be someone of similar age to the group. Kids seldom use the block feature to exclude new members from their group and this allows for the perfect opportunity for the predator to infiltrate the group.

Once a predator has targeted the child they will spend a great deal of time chatting one on one building trust. The child believes they are chatting with someone their own age never guessing that it is an adult predator on the other end.

As a parent there are some signs you need to watch for that may indicate your child is interacting with a predator. If you walk by the screen and it suddenly goes blank or your child quickly minimizes the screen you need to pay more attention to what is going on.

Long distance phone calls on your telephone bill that you cannot recognize or small gifts arriving at your home for your child from someone unknown need to put you on alert and start talking with your child.

If your teens suddenly become very secret and more secretive than normal teens are you need to be concerned. If they are sneaking out to meet the “unknown” person you need to take action. Teens tend to think they can take care of themselves and there is an element of excitement that lures them into the predators net. Stop it before your child gets hurt.

Always trust your gut instinct. If it doesn’t seem right it most likely isn’t. Too often we ignore what our intuition is saying only to regret it later. Unexplained behavior changes may be an indication that they are being manipulated by someone else.

You should regularly check your child’s internet buddy list to make sure that the names appear real and that nothing seems out of the ordinary.

You also need to go over the information your child has provided on their online profile to ensure that they have not given out information that is too personal and clearly identifies them such as photos or sports teams they play on.

Do not let your child use a web cam when chatting online. These are cheap and the kids find them so cool but they are in fact a danger. Predators can get a live shot of your children which makes it much easier for a predator.

If your child becomes harassed or bothered online have them delete their old account immediately then sign up for a new account. Never let the harassment carry on. Always keep open lines of communication with your children so that they feel comfortable coming to you if things don’t seem right or if something is scaring or worrying them.

You should also spend some time teaching your children what to watch for online. Teach them the clues to watch for and also how they can keep themselves safe. Let them know that they can talk to you at any time and make it a house rule that anytime a new friend is being met from the internet the first meeting must occur in a safe area.

Be sure you also install a monitoring software or keylogger software which will record fully the communications your child I having on the net. Your kids might feel like your spying on them but it’s really the only way you can be absolutely sure about your child’s internet activities.

Chat boards and forums are as important to this generation of children as the telephone was to previous generations. In fact in many ways it’s more important. Today they quickly meet friends from around the world exchanging ideas and learning about new cultures which creates a better understanding of others and may lead to a more peaceful world in the future.

So don’t fear the internet and your child’s use of it. The benefits far exceed the risks. Just ensure you and your child both know how to spot the dangers and you’ll keep your child safe from internet predators.


Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.